West Seattle, Washington
12 Tuesday
On this third full day of spring 2011, the season has unquestionably arrived. Bright sunshine, relatively warm temperatures (60!) and a modestly low tide (-1.2) are combining for a definite winter-is-over feeling right now. Our photo was taken looking east from Luna (Anchor) Park on Harbor Avenue a short time ago.
We’re all invited to the 15th Annual Chief Sealth Baseball Spaghetti Dinner & Auction
Friday, April 1, 2011 at 5:30pm
Casual/Festive Attire
Chief Sealth International High School in the Galleria
2600 SW Thistle Street
Seattle, WA 98106Please join 250+ of our supporters, parents/guardians, teachers, staff, alumni, and West Seattle community members in supporting the Chief Sealth Baseball program by attending the 15th Annual Chief Sealth Baseball Spaghetti Dinner & Auction. The evening includes a silent auction, dinner, dessert auction, and live auction.
This special event provides critical revenue to help fund the school and summer baseball programs.
You can help today! Visit the auction website.
– Purchase a ticket – just $10 per person!
– Make a cash donation – can’t attend, but want to help? Make a cash donation with your credit card
– Donate an auction item – it’s fast and easy to donate onlineAuction website: https://csptsa.ejoinme.org/Sealthbaseballauction
For more information, contact Beth Britt, 2011 Baseball Auction Chair by email at bethbritt@comcast.net or by phone (206) 854-4589
We received a note from Bobby Forch who is running for city council. He is doing a meet and greet Thursday evening.
My name is Bobby Forch and I am running for city council. I have recently started doing meet and greets across the City of Seattle and this week’s is in West Seattle. I plan to visit every neighborhood throughout the campaign to talk about issues with voters. It is this Thursday March 24th at 7pm at the Beveridge Place Pub 6413 California Ave SW Seattle, WA 98136.
It is just a drop-by type of event and people are welcome to come any time from 7 pm to about 8 pm.
Best,
Bobby Forch
We received this announcement from Dr. Toni Reineke, Artistic Director of West Seattle Community Orchestras, who says, “We’ve got a great concert coming up next week, and you’re invited! It’s for a great cause at a very teeny price!”
West Seattle Community Orchestra’s (WSCO) Symphonette and Beginning Strings are busily preparing for an outstanding musical opportunity for several school communities. On March 29, the Symphonette and Strings will perform a community outreach concert at 7 pm at Concord International School in South Park to benefit the music programs of Concord and Arbor Heights Elementary. Musical selections will include several of Disney’s most popular tunes from “Mary Poppins” as well as youth orchestra standards. Suggested donation, $1.
Each year, WSCO performs an outreach concert for the community, hosted by one elementary school and generally benefitting two schools’ music programs as part of its mission to support local music education. WSCO also provides tuition-free membership in one of three orchestras for any interested student; more information on this program is available at our
As an intergenerational orchestra, many of the performing musicians at the March 29th concert are students, with our youngest performer at age 7, up through more seasoned adult players who double their roles – musicians and mentors.
Concord International School is located at 723 S. Concord St. in the South Park neighborhood of Seattle.
If you have any questions Toni Reineke can be reached at (206)-243-6955 or toni@wscorchestras.org
As reported Tuesday on partner site White Center Now, Union Gospel Mission‘s “Search and Rescue Van” is coming to West Seattle and White Center tonight for the first time, hoping to find homeless people who sleep outdoors, to offer them various types of help. Today, as April pointed out on the new WSB Facebook page, UGM is looking for information on where they should go – if you have a suggestion, go here to tell them.
We just received this announcement from Futura Health Screening (WSB Sponsor). They are offering free vascular health screenings at the West Seattle Health Fair on March 29.
If you are over 50, have high blood pressure, are a past or current smoker, or have high cholesterol, then you are at risk for vascular disease, such as stroke, aneurysms and peripheral arterial disease (leg artery blockage).
From 10 am to 1 pm on March 29, Futura Health Screening [WSB Sponsor] will be offering free peripheral arterial disease (PAD) screening at the West Seattle Senior Center Health Fair, located at 4217 SW Oregon St. in West Seattle.
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is one of the most common yet least diagnosed forms of vascular disease. If left untreated, PAD can lead to surgery and in severe cases, can lead to amputation. It can also be an indication of serious disease elsewhere in the body. According to the American Heart Association, about eight million people have PAD and these individuals are four to five times more likely to die of heart attacks and strokes as those without the disease.
If you cannot attend the free PAD screening event, screenings are available every Wednesday morning in West Seattle and every Tuesday morning in Kirkland. Futura Health Screening offers low-cost, painless, and accurate ultrasound screenings to check for blockages in the arteries and aortic aneurysms.
Screening exams include carotid artery ultrasound to detect stroke-causing plaque, abdominal aortic ultrasound to detect an aneurysm, and ankle brachial index (ABI) to detect peripheral arterial disease in the legs. Screenings are $45 each or $125 for all three.
Carotid artery disease occurs when fatty deposits, or plaque , build up along the walls of the carotid arteries. The carotid arteries run along either side of the neck and deliver blood from the heart to the brain and head. The buildup of plaque in these arteries blocks the blood supply to the brain and increases risk of stroke.
An abdominal aortic aneurysm, also known as AAA (pronounced “triple A”), is a swelling or bulge that weakens the walls of the aorta. A rupture to the aorta has an 80 percent fatality rate and the vast majority of people with aneurysms are never diagnosed until they experience a fatal rupture. If an aneurysm is detected and treated electively the risk of its fatality is much lower.
Futura Health Screening is the first and only ICAVL accredited non-invasive vascular screening program in Washington State. Futura Health Screening is a division of Pacific Vascular, Inc., the largest provider of vascular ultrasound testing in the Northwest.
To schedule your screening, call (425) 398-7797 or (866) 486-4882. You can also take a personal risk assessment at futurahealthscreening.com.
(Screengrab from Admiral Safeway construction webcam – click to go to the “live webcam” page)
This morning, the City Council’s Committee on the Built Environment unanimously approved two items giving permission for a change in the Admiral Safeway project – as first reported here in January, the building east of the new store itself will be almost entirely apartments, instead of part apartments, part flex-work office spaces – Safeway said the developer for that part of the project was unable to get financing for the office space, but could get financing for residential units. (They also at the time offered a packet of graphics and information comparing the original proposal with the changed one.)
City council staff told the committee members (chair Sally Clark, Sally Bagshaw, Tim Burgess) that they had received five written comments about the change – three in support, two voicing concerns such as increased traffic and effects on parking. The councilmembers were told at today’s hearing that the change to apartments actually should reduce the traffic/parking effects, since residential needs will not overlap with nearby retail needs the way flex-work units would have done. “So what’s the down side” of the change? asked Councilmember Bagshaw. Council staffer Michael Jenkins noted that community members had considered the flex-work units “desirable” (here’s our original report when the idea first came up), though he also went on to say that this change might be viewed positively by residents across 42nd SW, who now will face apartments instead of offices.
One other point of contention was acknowledged by Councilmember Clark – that while this was described as a “minor amendment” to the development agreement the Council previously had approved (their involvement was related to aspects including “contract rezoning” for part of the site as well as “vacation” of public right-of-way, an “alley” that went through the site), at least one member of the public objected to that (she specifically named longtime neighborhood advocate Dennis Ross, who attended the hearing but did not speak – no one came to the mike during today’s “public comment” time at the meeting’s start). The matter of whether the change was “minor” or not was not up before the committee for deciding, she observed, and they approved the two-part change (see the fine print in links on the agenda) unanimously. (We’ll update when the date for full-council consideration is set.) To a reported public comment expressing concern that Safeway hadn’t revealed the change sooner, Clark opined that indeed, they always prefer to see developers communicate with the community sooner rather than later. Construction on the project proceeds at a relatively fast pace, with the new Safeway scheduled to open this summer.
Three notes this morning from the West Seattle High School PTSA: First, its monthly meeting is tonight, 7 pm, WSHS library. As the announcement puts it, the meeting is “a fantastic way to stay informed about what’s going on around the school.” Second, the WSHS PTSA also has announced a new website, meant to be “more user-friendly (with improved) navigation and content)” – find it at wshsptsa.org. One of the events you’ll find on the site is the PTSA-presented West Seattle 5K, coming up May 22nd (with WSB among the co-sponsors). If you haven’t already registered, you’re invited to a registration party this Sunday at West Seattle Runner (California/Charlestown), noon-4 pm – promising food, festivities, and prizes.
(The west side of the “massing” for the “preferred scheme” for the new development, from the packet)
We’ve been reporting on Harbor Properties‘ proposal for another development in The Triangle, just as they get ready to open Link. Here’s our latest report on the project, named Nova, proposed for what’s currently a parking lot immediately north of the Seattle West Suites motel. Nova’s “early design guidance” meeting – first meeting in many months for the Southwest Design Review Board – is tomorrow; the “packet” for the meeting is online today, with copious quantities of information about the proposal and the surrounding area. You can review it here. Caveat that this is NOT a plan for what the building would eventually look like; “early design guidance” is meant to bring forward at least three options for how a development might be “massed” and arranged on its site, dealing with its size and shape. The three options in the packet for tomorrow’s meeting include “Option A” with 63 units and one live-work unit, “Option B” with 65 units and four live-work units, and “Option C,” which is identified as the developer’s “preferred scheme,” with 62 units and one “community space.” Public comment is welcome at tomorrow night’s hearing, which is set for 6:30 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon). This is the first of what would be at least two Design Review meetings on the project – once it passes “early design guidance,” there would be at least one meeting to review a more fully fleshed-out plan for how it would look and what it would include.
(Alki eagle pair, photographed by Russ Walker)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar for today/tonight:
HPAC NAME CHANGE?: Highland Park Action Committee meets, 7 pm, Highland Park Improvement Club (12th/Holden). Agenda includes results of a survey on possibly changing the group’s name and a vote by attendees; also, updates on the Westcrest Park project and nearby sidewalk work. HPAC notes that children are welcome (there’s room in the meeting area to roam, and activities planned).
ADMIRAL SAFEWAY CHANGE: This morning, the change in the project’s southeastern corner, with more apartments instead of flex-work units, is scheduled to go before City Council’s Committee on the Built Environment, City Hall downtown, 9 am (agenda here)
POSITIVE DISCIPLINE: 7 pm, Fauntleroy Church and Little Pilgrim School host a Positive Discipline Workshop in the church’s Fellowship Hall for adults who are looking for long-term skills that will encourage children to “think for themselves, become more responsible and have a greater respect for themselves and for others.” More information at (206) 932-5600 and lorrie@fauntleroyucc.org.
FREE JOB-SEARCH WORKSHOP: South Seattle Community College’s WorkSource Center hosts another workshop, 4:30-6 pm, “Effective Networking for Employment.”
REMINDER, WEST SEATTLE WATER TAXI OUT OF SERVICE: Here’s our report from yesterday; the county does not expect it back until Monday at the earliest.
The advice that Southwest Precinct Community Police Team Officer Jonathan Kiehn shared with the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network tonight just might prevent a few break-ins – or more than a few. He coached the captains in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design – CPTED (“SEP-ted” as if you were saying “interCEPted”). In addition to concepts you might not have considered before – such as “hostile vegetation” – his presentation busted a few myths, too (is it better to have your blinds up or down? high hedge or not? etc.). More than 45 people crowded the meeting room by the time he began (from almost every neighborhood in West Seattle, according to the round of self-intros that opened the meeting – from Admiral to The Arroyos!). Read on for the highlights:Read More
In addition to the big “West Seattle for Japan” multi-business benefit next Sunday, the West Seattle Academy “flash mob” on Thursday, and the neighborhood garage sale on April 2-3 – here are four more local efforts to help/honor quake survivors and victims:
WEST SEATTLE FABRIC COMPANY: Our community’s one-and-only fabric store is donating 10 percent of its proceeds to Red Cross relief efforts in Japan, daily through Sunday. (Proprietor Monica Skov says this started today.) West Seattle Fabric Company is at 2210 California SW.
VIGIL FOR JAPAN ON MONDAY: Also in the Admiral District, this vigil has just been announced:
Admiral Congregational Church, UCC, will be holding a candlelight vigil for Japan on Monday, March 28, 2011. The vigil will take place in the church sanctuary at 4320 SW Hill Street. The service of prayer, silence and hope will begin at 7:33 p.m., the time of sunset on March 28. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
LA RUSTICA BENEFIT NEXT MONDAY: From the Beach Drive Italian restaurant:
Monday, March 28th, La Rustica will be open for dinner to raise money for The Red Cross Japan Relief fund. We will be serving dinner from 5-9:30 pm. All proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross Relief effort. No reservations required just first come first serve. We are located at 4100 Beach Drive. Please feel free to give us a call if you have any questions 206.932.3020. We hope to see you there!
HOLY FAMILY BAKE SALES: Every little thing counts. Tomorrow the students of Holy Family School will get to contribute through fundraising bake sales at lunchtime (we found this here).
First, the stolen-car report: James says his car was parked at 35th/Holly last night between 10:30 and midnight, when somebody stole it. It’s a 4-cylinder, 4-door white 1997 Honda Accord with a Thule roof rack, “and it’s been lowered,” he adds. He drives it to deliver pizza; it was locked and has an alarm, he says, but somebody made off with it anyway. Call police if you see it.
Now, the found car – you might recall Devin‘s report about two weeks ago – now, it’s been found:
With the help of the Seattle and Tacoma Police, our stolen Acura was found and recovered in Tacoma. There was some minor damage to the steering column (from hotwiring) and the radio and vehicle contents were removed. We were able to get it repaired and the car is back in West Seattle.
Crime-prevention note: We’re just back from a big-turnout West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network meeting at the precinct, featuring a presentation on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design – things to do in and around your home to make it more crime-resistant. We’ll have the story up in the 10 pm hour.
Denny International Middle School is sponsoring a Spring Break music camp again this year, for 4th through 8th graders from anywhere in the area, no matter what schools they attend. Here’s the invitation from Denny’s music director Marcus Pimpleton:
The camp is a fun and laid-back way for students to spend the break exploring music with other youth from the West Seattle area. The camp will operate April 18th – 22nd from 9 am -3 pm and be held in the music rooms at Chief Sealth International High School, 2600 SW Thistle. Students spend two hours of each day specializing in an ensemble on their primary instrument (band for the winds and percussionists; orchestra for the strings). They have another 90 minutes each day to explore a secondary interest (jazz band, drumline, guitar, or steel drums). The rest of the time consists of games and lunch. A suggested donation of $120 is requested, but families are welcome to give as much or as little as they can afford. For more information, please contact mjpimpleton@seattleschools.org.The registration form is available via this link.
3:27 PM: Just in from King County:
Service on the West Seattle Water Taxi is cancelled this afternoon because the Rachel Marie [WSB file photo at left] is undergoing repairs. Service will not resume before next Monday, March 28. Passengers should watch for service updates later in the week and over the weekend via the Water Taxi website and subscriber alerts.
… and, of course, here. ADDED 4:05 PM: Linda Thielke with county DOT says the problem was discovered yesterday; the decision for “more extensive repairs” was made today. ADDED 4:18 PM: Matt Reichmann with county DOT answered our question about exactly what’s wrong:
*A small fracture was discovered in the hull of the Rachel Marie below the waterline. The King County Marine Division, in coordination with the Coast Guard, have developed a repair plan to repair the vessel’s aluminum hull plating in way of the fracture. This work will require the Rachel Marie to be put up in dry-dock and be taken out of service through at least the end of this week. …We don’t know when it happened. It was discovered after Monday’s commute and temporary repairs were made for this morning.
We also asked why the Rachel Marie wasn’t being replaced with an Argosy vessel, as it had been for much of the time after last year’s crash; the county says that was investigated but is “not feasible” for this week.
If you happened onto a detour in the last half-hour or so in Highland Park – this is what it was about: WSB contributor Deanie Schwarz happened onto the Engine 11 crew tackling a car fire at 9th/Cloverdale (map).
No injuries reported – and the intersection is open again. Deanie talked to the driver, who said she was headed home to Burien when smoke started appearing under the hood of her car. She got out OK; Engine 11 (based at 16th/Holden) was there fast and had a tricky job trying to unlock the hood – eventually they had to cut the grille work off when flames reignited, Deanie says.
(Photo courtesy WSHS; from left, Latisha Evans, Kirby Davis, and Johnny Le)
West Seattle High School principal Ruth Medsker is beaming about her students who are just back from the Washington Restaurant Association‘s ProStart Invitational statewide competition in Spokane last weekend:
West Seattle High School’s culinary team ROCKED Pro Start State this year. Our team of three, won the “BEST ENTREE AWARD” out of seventeen competing teams from across Washington State. This is a proud accomplishment. Students received a $500 scholarship to The Art Institute of Seattle, a Certificate of Achievement and a chef’s knife along with the “BEST ENTREE AWARD” honor.
The WRA has photo galleries up for all the schools in the competition – here’s the Flickr gallery with their WSHS photos:
ADDED 3:32 PM: Teacher Sarah Orton has shared a news release with more information – including what the winners cooked! After the jump … Read More
Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
More than 125 people gathered at Chief Sealth International High School Monday night for the opening evening of their World Water Week festival, featuring a resource fair and notable guest speakers focused on a worthy theme – raising awareness of water’s value and the crucial need to provide quality water for people locally and worldwide.
The central event of the evening (pictured above) was a presentation by Robert Glennon, author of “Unquenchable” and a law professor and water-issues expert at the University of Arizona. Sealth’s events for World Water Week are being led by Sealth senior Molly Freed and her social-studies teacher Noah Zeichner (who we’ve talked about previously on WSB; Freed was also on KOUW radio yesterday). Those two, along with others at Sealth who worked tirelessly to make the evening happen, were given praise and kudos by both Glennon and special guest Congressman Jay Inslee for their efforts. We took the photo below just before Glennon’s speech got started:
(From left: Congressman Jay Inslee, Sealth teacher Noah Zeichner, principal John Boyd and student Molly Freed, and speaker Robert Glennon)
We talked with Glennon before his presentation, and he commended Freed for her passion on water issues, saying “I’m here because Molly sent me a letter and asked me. It’s that simple. I don’t get a lot of letters from high school students, so I told her I’d make it happen.” Glennon also praised Seattle for being a progressive community that has “always impressed me” with its forward-thinking regarding water conservation, using less water even as population has risen in recent decades.
(In-depth coverage continues after the jump – including video of the entire auditorium event)Read More
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has announced that the so-called “polite robber,” caught on videotape apologizing while holding up a Roxbury gas station (just outside city limits) in early February, has pleaded guilty. 65-year-old Gregory Paul Hess pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and will be sentenced April 1st. The PAO says the sentencing range would be 51 to 68 months in prison. As we reported previously, Hess gained some fame eight years ago for a series of robberies attributed to the “Transaction Bandit.” After the local heist this past February, police say, Hess confessed; they also say that he reported putting $90 in the bank, from the $200 he stole.
The Rotary Club of West Seattle usually meets for lunch on Tuesdays, but today members got up early for the annual Community Breakfast. Guest speakers included Penny LeGate, award-winning veteran broadcaster, and Ezra Teshome, who is assistant governor for Rotary District 5030 (above, from left, Teshome, LeGate, and WS Rotary president Steve Fuller). LeGate talked about the Rotary effort to help eradicate polio, which persists in countries including Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan, where it’s difficult to deliver vaccine, and to break through geographic/cultural challenges. The Rotary’s polio-fighting campaign goes back more than a quarter of a century, and gets financial assistance from the Seattle-headquartered Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Teshome talked about his trips taking dozens of Rotarians to Ethiopia each fall to work on the polio-fighting project.
Also highlighted – Arbor Heights Elementary students modeling clothes from last December’s West Seattle Rotary Holiday Shopping Spree, and Molly Ward from the South Seattle Community College-based Career Link, which receives assistance from the Rotary’s education program (which also provides scholarships to local students including West Seattle High School, Chief Sealth International High School, and Seattle Lutheran High School). One more youth note – the Ellis Brothers Jazz Trio entertained:
You can find out more about the Rotary Club of West Seattle, its events and programs at their website – westseattlerotary.org.
From West Seattleite Irene Stewart, who’s an aging/disability services (ADS) planner with the city:
Every four years, ADS prepares a new Area Plan on Aging for King County, which guides our work. As we prepare to draft a new plan for 2012 through 2015, we need to hear from Seattle and King County residents. We invite residents of all ages to complete an online questionnaire. We especially encourage people who are age 60 or older, adults with disabilities, and family caregivers to respond.
Click here to take the survey. Irene adds, “Everybody is aging, so everybody should care.’
(Cicadellidae – a leafhopper – photographed by Machel Spence)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
BLOCKWATCH CAPTAINS’ NETWORK: The community is welcome at tonight’s West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network meeting, Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster), 6:30 pm. Meet the precinct’s new Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon and talk about crime prevention through “environmental design.”
‘PERSONAL SAFETY NETS’: Another brown-bag talk in the “Living Into Life” series helps you develop Personal Safety Nets to support you when you need it. 11:30-1 pm at Alki Arts (2820 Alki SW), register by phone: 206-659-0665.
FAMILY STORY TIME: Bring the family to the Seattle Public Library‘s Delridge Branch (Delridge/Brandon) for story time tonight with Amy, 7 pm.
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL TRIVIA: Rock music trivia every Tuesday night at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 8 pm
LIVE AT SKYLARK: Luke Sayers will bring his one man show in which he spins live organic loops of lush vocal harmony, rich guitar textures, & grooving percussion back to the Skylark Café (3803 Delridge Way SW) tonight @ 10 pm, no cover.
POLITICAL FUNDRAISER: West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen is running for re-election and having a WS fundraiser tonight, 6-8 pm, Puget Ridge Cohousing common building ‐ 7020 18th SW. (RSVP to Colby.a.underwood@gmail.com or call (206) 779‐1494.)
WATERCOLOR CLASSES: Painter Jennifer Carrasco launches a new series of classes tonight at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor); details at the end of the story we published last night.
The overfishing crisis was on the menu, and the marquee, for Sustainable West Seattle last night, launching their new periodic film series. The cautionary film based on the book “The End of the Line“ was on screen, and then sustainable-seafood star Chef Hajime Sato, proprietor of Mashiko in The Junction, was onstage. If you don’t want to eat endangered fish, he pointed out, bluefin tuna is far from the only thing to avoid:
This summer will mark two years since he gained fame for not just advocating “sustainable sushi” but dedicating his acclaimed restaurant to it. But, he said, “I’m not telling you to stop eating everything; if we protect certain species, they are coming back.” Another video clip after the jump:Read More
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